Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

Yummy and EASY Sloppy Joes

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Call me weird, but I’ve about decided that Sloppy Joes are one of my favorite things to eat. I know – it’s just this spoonful of messy meat on a bun. But I love it.

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They are just so simple to make and easy to eat, and they have such good flavor. I love making them for lunch. The meat mixture freezes well. It reheats easily. Ah, Sloppy Joes…what’s not to love?

TIP: Make 2-6 pounds of this Sloppy Joes recipe ahead of time and freeze in meal-sized portions. Thaw and reheat as needed.

TIP #2: Take this Sloppy Joe meat on the road with you! Re-heat in a crock pot in your hotel room for an easy, wholesome meal. This saves money on eating out when you travel!

Sloppy JoesYum

Yummy and EASY Sloppy Joes
 
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Serves: 6 servings
Ingredients
  • 2 lbs ground meat (beef, turkey, venison or lamb)
  • 2 T. minced onion
  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 1 teaspoon mustard
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 Tablespoon worchestershire sauce
  • sea salt to taste
Instructions
  1. Brown meat and onion together.
  2. Add remaining ingredients, stirring well.
  3. Allow mixture to simmer in the skillet for a few minutes.

(I’m experimenting with making my own ketchup, but in the meantime I love this brand.)

Easy Sloppy Joe Meat

We love Sloppy Joes served on these homemade buns. Shucks, I like them without a bun. A Sloppy Joe in a bowl with tortilla chips is delicious!

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Ways to use Sloppy Joe Meat

Don’t just limit Sloppy Joes to a bun! Try using this Sloppy Joe recipe in these ways too:

The Easiest Sloppy Joes

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Make Ahead Meals: Beefy Enchilada Bake

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We’re calling this Beefy Enchilada Bake. Why??

Anybody else have a husband who “won’t eat it if it’s a casserole?”

My sister-in-law, Kari,  told me of this recipe idea. But she said, “You can’t call it a casserole, or Randy won’t eat it!” Apparently it’s a common theme with husbands. Many don’t like casseroles. (My husband on the other hand, would probably eat it no matter what you called it. If there’s food in it – he likes it.)

So as Kari was making this, she decided, “It’s layered like a lasagna. I think I’ll call it Enchilada Lasagna.” (Fun name – I like it!)

Hey, call it whatever you want to. This dish is simple to prepare, really yummy to eat, and is great to make ahead of time, freeze, thaw and bake. I LOVE Make Ahead Casser Meals!

Beefy Enchilada Bake 

Beefy Enchilada Bake (aka Enchilada Lasagna)

Make Ahead Meals: Beefy Enchilada Bake
 
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Serves: 6-10
Ingredients
  • 1 pound Ground hamburger meat
  • 3 Tablespoons arrowroot powder or cornstarch
  • ½ cup water
  • 1-2 teaspoons chili powder (depending on your taste)
  • salt
  • 3 cups tomato sauce
  • 8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
  • 12 corn tortillas
Instructions
  1. Brown hamburger meat.
  2. Do not drain grease!
  3. Put cooked hamburger meat in separate bowl, salt and set aside.
  4. Sprinkle arrowroot powder into the grease and stir (if you do not have enough grease to absorb the arrowroot powder, add 2 T. butter).
  5. Keep your burner on medium to high heat.
  6. Pour in water and “smoosh” the clumps of arrowroot powder/grease around while you stir the water in.
  7. This will thicken and make a gravy.
  8. Pour in tomato sauce and chili powder.
  9. Stir well until bubbly. This is now your enchilada sauce!
  10. Cut corn tortillas into one inch strips.
  11. Dip tortilla strips in enchilada sauce and coat thoroughly.
  12. Cover bottom of baking dish with enchilada sauce coated tortilla strips.
  13. Sprinkle ⅓ of the cooked ground beef over the tortillas…then a little cheese.
  14. Repeat layers twice more: enchilada sauce coated tortilla strips, meat, cheese.
  15. If you have any leftover enchilada sauce, drizzle it over the top.
  16. Cover and bake at 350° for 30 – 40 minutes or until bubbly.

There you go! A great meal that you can make ahead of time and pull out when you need it!

Because I’ve had several requests for more meals like this, and because I LOVE having meals like this, I’ve been playing a lot in my kitchen to come up with more great recipes that can save you time and energy! I’ll keep these recipes coming!

But I’m curious – does your family eat “casseroles”? Because I can come up with anti-casserole names. I’ll go think of some now…

(Easy Chicken HooHaa;  Tasty Noodley Goodley;  Cheesy Pleasey Chicken; Chunky Beef Bucket, Turkey Salad Surprise ; Couch Potato Cuisine…)

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Make Ahead Meals: Cheesy Beef and Rice

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On a day when there’s lots of activity (um…that would be every day), it’s so nice to have a meal like Cheesy Beef and Rice prepared in the freezer ready to pull out and bake. Quickly toss a salad and warm up a veggie, and your meal is made!

Over the next several weeks, while I continue to post new breakfast ideas, and great ways to eat lots of fruits and veggies – I’ll also be posting some great recipes that you can make up ahead of time and put into the freezer to have on hand for busy evenings. 

To start us off, here’s a super easy recipe to put together. There’s nothing fancy about this dish, but it’s tasty just the same. This Cheesy Beef and Rice has been a long time family favorite of ours!

Cheesy Beef and Rice

Cheesy Beef and RiceYum

Make Ahead Meals: Cheesy Beef and Rice
 
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Author:
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 1½ cups long grain brown rice
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 3 Tablespoons minced onion, or fresh chopped onion
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • sea salt, to taste
  • 1½ cups sour cream
  • ⅓ cup milk
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
  1. Boil three cups of water.
  2. Stir in rice.
  3. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes.
  4. Brown ground beef with onion and garlic powder.
  5. Mix with rice and salt well.
  6. Stir in sour cream and milk.
  7. Spread into a casserole dish.
  8. Sprinkle cheese on top. Cover well and freeze.
  9. Bake in a 350° oven for 45 minutes, or until bubbly.
  10. Or, place frozen casserole, covered with foil, into a cold oven.
  11. Turn oven on to 250°, baking for about 2 hours or until casserole is heated through and through.

I hope you’ll keep coming back to read more recipes of dishes that you can make ahead of time and put into the freezer! In the meantime, I encourage you to look through all of the Make-Ahead Meals we’ve shared through the years. So much time saved!

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Healthy Treat for Today: Homemade Pizza Pockets

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Lunch time around here can be a hectic time…

These Pizza Pockets are a perfect treat that you can make ahead put in the freezer…then throw in the oven at lunchtime.
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Here’s how I made these:

I used my regular pizza recipe…

CrustYum

3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teasoon sea salt
1 cup melted butter
1 cup plain yogurt

Stir ingredients together until thoroughly mixed. You can make these pockets right away, or you can allow this dough to soak for 12-24 hours in order to break down the phytates and make the grain more easily digestible.

Pizza Sauce

1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 1/2 teaspoon basil

Stir together and simmer for a few minutes.

Pizza Pocket Fillings

Grated mozzarella or white cheddar cheese, cooked hamburger, pepperoni, olives, peppers, mushrooms

To form a Pizza Pocket

Roll a small ball of dough into a circle. Place one tablespoon of pizza sauce in the center. Put in a small amount of your choice of toppings. Fold the dough in half. Use a fork to pinch the edges together.

Lay Pizza Pockets on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze for about one hour. Pop them off the cookie sheet and put them into a freezer bag…and back into the freezer.
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Bake your Pizza Pockets

For frozen Pizza Pockets, bake in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes. If the Pizza Pockets are thawed, bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

I love the convenience of this nutritious “fast food”! Serve them with fruit and veggies(God’s fast food!)…and you’ve got yourself a quick and easy lunchtime treat!!

You’ll find more healthy treat recipes here.

Grocery List

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